Jane Dittmar – Page 2 – C-VILLE Weekly

In brief: Eramo v. Jackie, Wegmans and more

Eramo v. Jackie

Former UVA dean Nicole Eramo fought for months to get discredited “A Rape on Campus” source Jackie deposed for her defamation suit against Rolling Stone. That finally happened April 7, and now Eramo wants the court to throw out “personal attacks” Jackie allegedly made during the deposition, according to April 12 court filings.

Kevin Eisenfrats and gel. Photo Dan Addison, UVA university communications

Keeping those sperm from fertilizing

UVA looks like the male contraceptive leader with two different approaches. John Herr is on track to create a birth control drug for men after discovering and isolating a key enzyme and seeking to design a drug that can stop the sperm from swimming to the egg. Kevin Eisenfrats has created and is currently testing Contraline, a non-surgical gel injected into the testes.

Still increased, only less so

Albemarle supes voted to raise the county tax rate 2 cents instead of 2.5 cents April 13, and UVA upped in-state tuition 1.5 percent instead of 3 percent for continuing students, thanks to higher funding from the state.

More rewards waiting

After the disbursement of $150K for information leading to the conviction of Jesse Matthew in the death of Morgan Harrington, Crime Stoppers still has rewards waiting in unsolved crimes: missing persons Jesse Hicks, last seen in 2004, and Sage Smith, missing since 2012; the second perp involved in the 2007 brutal beating death of William Godsey at the Wood Grill Buffet and the 2006 shooting of a UVA student on Wertland Street.

Dogwood Festival’s porno website

People who Google and click on Charlottesville Dogwood Festival find a different type of carnival: Instabang, which warns “the site contains nude pics of people you may know.”

Quote of the week

“I am reminded of this history every time that I’m running—because I like to jog—through the city and people lock their doors, or when they look at me with a face of terror even though I’m vice-mayor. …I’m reminded of this history of our country and our past when I’m called names like after the Lee Park press conference, when I was called ‘nigger-loving bastard.’” Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy, City Council, April 18

See Jane run

Albemarle Board of Supervisors Chair Jane Dittmar chose the front of the County Office Building to announce her run for Congress September 17 because “this was where I began my public service and where I was sworn in,” she said. That was not quite two years ago after she won a special election, and now she’s setting her sights on a larger legislative body.

“Public service is the last part of the work of my career,” said Dittmar, 59, a business owner, former CEO and president of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, a certified mediator and now a 5th District Democratic candidate.

“There are a lot of people angry about Washington,” she said in front of an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 100 supporters. “I decided to run because this summer I realized we’re sending the wrong people to Washington.”

Republican Robert Hurt, the three-term incumbent, easily fended off his most recent challengers in a district that Democrats haven’t held since Tom Perriello’s one-term victory in 2008. The 5th stretches from northern Virginia and to the state’s economically hard-hit southern border, where Hurt, who served nine years in the General Assembly, has a well-established base.

Hurt declined to comment on the Democratic candidates—Halifax County native Ericke Cage also wants the Dem nomination—but said, “I appreciate the fact that the seat to which I was elected belongs to the people of the 5th District, and we welcome any candidate offering himself or herself for that position.”

The district covers more than 10,000 square miles, 21 counties, two cities and 31 towns, Dittmar noted, and she drove most of it announcement day, hitting Danville and Warrenton before finishing in Charlottesville.

She stressed job creation and Internet access. “I intend to light up this district,” she said.

She also emphasized her business credentials. “I really get business,” she said. “I have started businesses. I grew them. That meant I met payroll. I borrowed capital and paid it back, because my businesses did well.”

“Jane is a problem solver who puts people first and is not a partisan warrior,” says Richard Brewer, chair of the Albemarle Democratic Committee, in an e-mail. “She is just the type of person we need in Washington to help clean up the dysfunctional mess we call Congress. While Republican gerrymandering makes this a difficult district, I am confident that her message and proven track record will appeal to voters across party lines and that she has a clear path to victory.”

Democrats in the 5th District have not announced how they’ll nominate a candidate for the 2016 election.